Picturesque

Chapter 13: Hermosa Beach

Finally, Jo drove down to a lot where other cars were parked, recklessly pulling fast into an open spot and slamming the brakes to bring the car to a park with a loud screech. There was a big sign on the lot that read Hermosa Beach.

"You're not a very good driver," I said, feeling breathless both from the adrenaline of Jo's driving and from the sight of the beautiful beach.

"You're still kicking, aren't you?" she remarked as she hopped out of the car and reached to the back to grab her bag, already walking down towards the beach. I scrambled out after her, pushing my sunglasses up on my head so that I could see everything in full color.

Right where the beach started, there was a row of orange and white striped changing houses. Jo opened the door to one and was about to walk right in until she remembered that she had my swimsuit.

"Here," she said as I caught up to her, pulling something pink out and throwing it at me. "My mom got me this for my birthday, and it's horribly ugly." I caught the swimsuit in my arms and looked at it sheepishly, wondering why she gave me it if she thought it was so ugly.

Jo disappeared into one of the houses, so I walked to the next one and went inside to change.

It was quite difficult to maneuver my way into the tiny swimsuit. By the time I finally had it all the way on, Jo was knocking aggressively on the door.

"Did you hang yourself with the bikini in there?" she called.

I looked down at myself and felt chills run up me. I was horribly exposed. The bikini bottoms were barely big enough to cover my behind, and the top was thin and small. My stomach, arms, and legs were completely exposed, and my face started to go bright red with the thought of walking through that crowded beach half-naked.

Jo knocked impatiently. "Come on, teacher. You're wasting my time."

Quickly, I bundled up my dress and shoes in my arm, holding them over my stomach to cover myself. I opened the door and stepped out, keeping my clothes tucked tight against my abdomen as I looked at Jo. She was wearing a red one-piece but kept her unbuttoned white blouse on.

She had pushed her sunglasses to her head, and I saw her eyes look at me up and down, settling on the way I was obviously using my clothes to cover my stomach.

"You gonna hold onto those like that all day?" she remarked, taking the bag off her shoulder and opening it. "C'mon. Put 'em in."

Hesitantly, I looked between the bag and her. "I feel a little... naked," I quietly said in shame.

"That's the point," she said with a chuckle. "It's the beach. You're supposed to be naked."

Frowning, I looked around to see dozens of other girls wearing less clothing than I. Even looking at the other girls made my face turn bright red under the sun.

Jo's impatient expression softened a little. Huffing, she set the bag down and started to take her blouse off. "Turn around."

Apparently, I didn't turn quick enough, because she grabbed my shoulders and sharply twisted me around. From behind, she took my clothes out of my hands and stuffed them into bag before quickly putting her blouse on me. I stuck my arms into the blouse as she lifted it over my shoulders.

"Feel better?" she asked, and I slowly turned around, pulling the blouse together at the front.

"Yeah," I sheepishly chuckled. "Thanks."

Picking up the bag, she started walking down the beach, and I followed her, trying to fight back the warm feeling of her giving me her blouse to wear. Jo kept walking until she found a group of four people who were laying on beach towels.